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Suggs at Parkview

Suggs at Parkview

Recently, Dr. Dexter Suggs, Little Rock School District superintendent, made a very bizarre appearance at Parkview High School. All Parkview seniors, including myself, were instructed to go to the auditorium where the superintendent led an assembly that quickly spiraled out of control. After instructing all teachers to leave us alone, Suggs gave us a vague lecture about picking our future path. It wasn't until I left that I began to feel as if the assembly had been a strange kind of political theater. Suggs seemed very ill-informed about the college process or about high school in general. He did not understand teenagers and behaved more like a politician than an educator. He often averted our questions, only repeating over and over again the same mantra about setting life goals. When one student mentioned that he felt stressed, the superintendent changed the subject and conversationally asked, "How could a teenager be stressed, I mean you don't pay bills?" to which the entire class erupted in frustration.

Suggs seemed in over his head throughout the entire rest of the assembly as many students rose to tell serious stories about the stress they have in their lives. Eventually, students became angry and talked over one another. In what appeared to be desperation Suggs told the group his email address in case we needed anything. He later randomly promised to take the entire senior class out to lunch. Suggs' appearance at Parkview felt more like the assembly in "Mean Girls" than the motivational talk that had been intended. Most of us left confused and annoyed that we had used our class time for his talk. Suggs seemed very overwhelmed by his position. We were much taken aback by the superintendent, who we felt was merely using us to fulfill his own agenda.

Josie Efird

Little Rock

Race conflicts with Jewish holy day

I was greatly disappointed to learn that the Komen Race for the Cure is scheduled on Oct. 4, in direct conflict with Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year for the Jewish members of our community. It is the Day of Atonement, observed from sundown, Oct. 3, to sundown, Oct. 4. There is no way the Komen Foundation could not have known as it is listed on every calendar, including those on smart phones and tablets. Scheduling the Race for the Cure on that day deprives Jewish women, many of whom have supported the Foundation and the race itself since its inception, of the opportunity to participate in race activities. It is especially cruel to those Jewish women who are survivors or who have lost loved ones to disease. This is wrong.
Other organization planners have scheduled the dates of their events so as not to be in conflict with Yom Kippur out of respect for these members of our community. As a human being, and a strong supporter of the race, I find the Oct. 4 date at the very least insensitive. In response to inquiries, you state great attention was given to avoiding conflict with Razorback games. Really? Can this affront be more offensive? I think not.

Mary Healey

Little Rock

From the web

In response to "The 40th anniversary of the Arkansas Times" (Sept. 18):

I am forever grateful to Alan Leveritt for starting the Arkansas Times. Where would we be as a state today without this rare media company? We'd be worse off, for sure. The Arkansas Times has improved our state in a unique way, and we are fortunate to have this business operating here. It is quite possible that it could survive for another 40 years, and I hope that happens.

There were plenty of options, but this president played politics rather than Commander in Chief. Now he has created a situation that was worse for his incompetent handling.

Mother Jones' Kevin Drum is right that we should not have left. One of Obama's generals told the president that leaving Iraq completely on its own would have consequences. Obama wasn't worried about consequences, he was worried about politics. Now it is more difficult to go back.

Several other Arab nations have made ISIL a priority, but ISIL is not a local problem. They held strategic territory, and are still holding towns. It isn't over by a long shot. Add to that the fact that Obama is being dragged, kicking and screaming, into a situation where he cannot even get a proper coalition going spells more disaster for Barry the Bungler.

View from afar: So, pretty much the same proud God, Guns, Gays visionary leadership that's kept The Natural State neck-and-neck with Mississippi for last place since, oh, forever.
That about it?

Norma Bates

The Republican Twitter machine is working to create a narrative that Ross was angry and frothing at the mouth while Asa! was measured and steady. I'm not sure which debate they watched last night — maybe they confused Kansas with Arkansas. Ross was superior on substance. I would prefer to see him relax a bit but he was nowhere close to angry or over-amped. I prefer substance over a guy that smiles a lot and can't articulate a clear position on pre-K, private option and the minimum wage. Don't be sucked in by the Asa grin and cute ads; he's still the out-of-touch, hypocritical guy he's always been.

Something's up. The State Board of Education has announced a special meeting at 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 5. The lone agenda item concerns a request for a waiver of state law regarding the Little Rock School District. /more/

The resignation of Dexter Suggs, Little Rock’s new civil rights ordinance, the latest on the Eureka Springs fight over a nondiscrimination ordinance and Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Common Core — all covered on this week's podcast. /more/

The departure of Dexter Suggs as interim Little Rock school superintendent after controversy over management decisions, a legally dubious investigation of some district teachers and a plagiarism allegation, has drawn attention in Indiana, where Suggs previously worked as a top administrator in Indiana schools. /more/

A Little Rock School District middle school teacher sends a photo of the Arkansas history texts used in the schools' classes. They are barely hanging together. The teacher has been told to suck it up and make do. There is no money for book purchases. The money being paid Dexter Suggs to go away could have bought some. /more/

Readers say: Surely there's a way to stop a payment of up to $250,000 in severance pay to Dexter Suggs, constructively fired Monday as interim superintendent of the Little Rock School District. I'm afraid not, insulting as it is to charge Little Rock taxpayers for the state's initial mistake in keeping him employed. /more/

No they don't need state help. Any conservative legislator who is true to their tea party principles will crow on about crony capitalism. I look forward to deafening silence.

The Observer is at home today in our kitty cat socks, weathering a combination sick day and snow day. Way down in Stifft Station, we live at the top of a hill that slopes away in all directions. That's good in a flood, but piss poor other than for sledding during snow and ice, especially when you only have access to a two-wheel drive car.

Arkansans will be among the hardest hit by President Trump's attempts to strong-arm foreign leaders through economic manipulation.

My name is Laura Comstock. I grew up in Mountain Home, then moved to Conway and graduated from the University of Central Arkansas in 2007. Since then, I've worked in the Little Rock School District at Chicot Elementary.

I frequently disagree with the extremes of your politics. I do usually enjoy your columnists' positions if for no other reason than simply to read another opinion on an issue. Further, I am often impressed with the width and breath of some of your investigative articles.